In 1920s London, an émigré American went from working for a bank in the City to become the leading poet of his age. Despite the best efforts of other great writers of the day (Ezra Pound and Virginia Woolf) to ‘extricate’ him, T S Eliot relinquished his ‘day job’ in finance only with reluctance, and the City setting remains central to his most famous poem The Waste Land. It is perhaps therefore especially fitting that students in a School such as LSE, with such close links to the world of finance, should present Eliot’s short theatre piece from the same period Sweeney Agonistes.

A drinks reception and a discussion with Lord Desai will precede the theatre event, which will also feature live 1920s jazz and documentary footage.

Distinguished economist, emeritus professor at LSE and, since 1991 a life peer, Lord Desai has in recent years pursued a literary career of importance, including The Route of All Evil (a pioneering study of the American poet Ezra Pound’s economic theories published by Faber in 2006) and a novel, Dead On Time (2009).

This event is free and open to all, with entry on a first come first served basis.

Venue:  Shaw Library,6th floor, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Lord Desai